Matches to Make After UFC 156

Edgar drew the featherweight champion into the deepest waters to no
avail, as he lost a unanimous decision to Aldo in the UFC
156 main event on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in
Las Vegas. All three Nevada Athletic Commission judges -- Adelaide
Byrd, Jeff Collins and Junichiro Kamijo -- ruled in the Brazilian’s
favor, casting 49-46, 48-47 and 49-46 nods in his direction.

Aldo was measured in spots, utterly spectacular in others. His leg
kicks and jab were his most effective weapons as he posted his 15th
consecutive victory. However, the triumph was not without its
trials. Aldo, who has made no secret about his difficultly in
cutting to the 145-pound limit, slowed noticeably in the late
rounds and allowed Edgar to re-establish himself in the fight.

Edgar enjoyed his greatest success in the fourth round, where he
hoisted and slammed the Brazilian and found a home for his punching
combinations. Undeterred, Aldo responded with more jabs, right
crosses and the most dynamic strike of the match: a springing
Superman punch off the cage in the waning moments of round
five.

Aldo has no shortage of potential suitors -- even top lightweight
contender Anthony
Pettis threw his name into the hat following UFC 156 -- but
Ricardo
Lamas appears to be next in line. The rugged Chicago-based
featherweight brutalized Roufusport prospect Erik Koch with
a violent volley of ground-and-pound elbows at UFC on Fox 6 on Jan.
26. Lamas has won all four of his bouts since joining the Ultimate
Fighting Championship as part of the World Extreme Cagefighting
merger, finishing three of them.

In the wake of UFC 156 “Aldo vs. Edgar,” here are seven other
matchups that ought to be made:

Frankie
Edgar vs. Cub
Swanson-Dustin
Poirier loser: Edgar has dropped three
difficult-to-stomach decisions in succession, but remains
entrenched as one of the Top 10 pound-for-pound mixed martial
artists. According to FightMetric figures, “The Answer” actually
outlanded Aldo in terms of total strikes and significant strikes in
rounds three, four and five. However, the considerable damage the
champion inflicted seemed to carry far more weight on the
scorecards. Statistics aside, Edgar provides an instant boost to
the featherweight division and becomes a difficult proposition for
anyone at 145 pounds. Swanson and Poirier will throw leather at UFC
on Fuel TV 7 on Feb. 16 in London.

File
Photo: Sherdog.com

Nogueira slipped by Evans.

Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio
Rua: Nogueira notched arguably the most significant
win of his 12-year career, as he outpointed former light
heavyweight champion Rashad
Evans in the co-headliner. Crisp boxing and stellar takedown
defense carried the Pride Fighting Championships veteran in his
first Octagon appearance in more than a year. Rua defeated Nogueira
in one of the more memorable encounters in Pride history back in
2005, but finds himself in no man’s land at 205 pounds, having lost
a unanimous decision to surging Swede Alexander
Gustafsson in December.

Rashad
Evans vs. Dan
Henderson-Lyoto
Machida loser: Evans’ stock took a significant hit in
his loss to Nogueira. He entered the cage as a strong favorite,
elected to box with a superior boxer and walked out saddled by a
second consecutive defeat. Evans turns 34 in September and one has
to at least consider whether or not the former champion has made
the turn towards the backside of his career. Henderson will lock
horns with Machida in the UFC 157 co-main event on Feb. 23.

Antonio
Silva vs. Josh
Barnett: Silva made one-time Strikeforce and Dream
champion Alistair
Overeem pay an embarrassing price for his overconfidence in
their heavyweight showcase, as he handed the Dutchman his first
defeat in more than five years. “Bigfoot” went berserk early in the
third round, burying Overeem under an avalanche of power punches en
route to shocking knockout. Silva and Barnett have traded their
share of verbal barbs over the years. Perhaps the time has come to
let them settle their differences with their fists.

Alistair
Overeem vs. Daniel
Cormier-Frank Mir
loser: With two rounds in the bank, Overeem flipped the
autopilot switch and sank under the weight of “Bigfoot” Silva’s
heavy hands. The defeat, his first since September 2007, cost
Overeem a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Cain
Velasquez, along with a massive payday. Instead, the Dutchman
returns to a pool of contenders that includes Cormier and Mir.
Those two will iron out their differences at UFC on Fox 7 on April
20 in San Jose, Calif.

Demian Maia
vs. Rory
MacDonald-Carlos
Condit winner: It was far from pleasing to the eye,
but it was effective. A gold medalist at the 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat
Club Submission Wrestling World Championships, Maia put his
grappling expertise to use against grizzled American Kickboxing
Academy veteran Jon Fitch.
Unable to tie down the submission, Maia instead grounded, nullified
and smothered the onetime welterweight title contender, improving
to 3-0 at 170 pounds. MacDonald and Condit will toe the line
against one another for the second time at UFC 158 next month.

Joseph
Benavidez vs. Demetrious
Johnson: Benavidez survived a second-round scare to
outpoint Ian McCall in
a pivotal battle between two Top 5 flyweights. The Team Alpha Male
standout landed with more volume and authority, wobbling “Uncle
Creepy” with a crisp left hook in the first round and a clubbing
right in the third. Was it enough to earn him a rematch with
“Mighty Mouse” Johnson, who retained his flyweight championship
with a unanimous decision over John Dodson
at UFC on Fox 6? Time will tell.